Social Security benefits stay flat

In the last few weeks before election day, Democrats are hammering home their support for America’s 57 million Social Security recipients and warning that Republicans could threaten the program.

But timing isn’t on their side. On Friday, Social Security recipients will learn that they won’t receive higher benefits for the second year in a row because the economy isn’t growing fast enough. Inflation statistics released then are expected to confirm that the consumer price index, which measure basic living costs, isn’t rising high enough to legally allow the Social Security Administration to increase the benefit amounts. Congress doesn’t have a say in the matter.

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POLITICO 44

Dozens of Democrats have signed onto a bill that would send every senior a $250 check. They say health care costs are still rising, even if food and energy bills aren’t.

In the run up before the announcement, everyone from party leaders to endangered members campaigning on their protection of Social Security are trying to remind seniors that the lack of increase for a second year in a row isn’t their fault. 2010 was the first year since 1975 that the benefits hadn’t increased.

“While Congress doesn’t have control over the cost of living adjustment that seniors receive to their Social Security payments based on inflation, we can and should provide them with a fully paid for one-time payment to make it easier for seniors to make ends meet this year,” House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson of Connecticut said in a statement. He also pointed out that Democrats gave seniors a check as part of the Recovery Act in 2009, and another earlier this year to help those who fell into the Medicare Part D “donut hole” with health care expenses.

“Social Security has a proven record of providing a reliable check, month after month, even as other sources of income for seniors have fallen in the last two years,” said Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.), who sponsored the $250 check measure and whose office has gotten several calls from concerned seniors. “I will continue to lead the fight to protect Social Security, so that the seniors who worked so hard for many years will have the dignity they deserve in retirement,” he said in a statement.

Pomeroy’s measure, which he introduced in July, has 127 co-sponsors. Many of them are running in tough races, like Reps. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.), John Boccieri (D-Ohio), Bobby Bright (D-Ala.), Kathy Dahlkemper (D-Pa.).

Readers' Comments (51)

Lets give a few more Billion to obama's special interest groups or maybe a new "dog park", God forbid we give some senior a 20.00 raise!!! What a rip off! Work all their lives and have some Socialist guy get in office and screw them blind!! He hates the unborn and the old. Great guy.

I am going to raise hell about this on behalf of all the oldsters in their 70s, 80s and 90s . Most of them are living on less than $800 per month, for God's sake! Do they have to live on cat food? Congressmen/women are paid $174,000 a year from taxpayer money. On January 1, 2011 they are going to receive a 5% COLA increase in pay, or $8,700 more annually. The oldsters I know were praying that they might get a $40 per month increase in 2011, since they didn't get anything this year, which totals a grand $480 more PER YEAR! I am so angry that the Social Security Administration is saying that "the economy isn't growing fast enough to warrant an increase for them." Then how is Congress getting so very much more? They live in the same country! This is wrong!!!

Kinda interesting isn't it that Obozo can find money for his Union buddies, doesn't care how much debt he has to pile on us to do it, but cannot find money for a COLA for OUR seniors ? This is the second year that they get no raise ? All on his watch ? What does that tell you about this guy ? He can find money for infrastructure, teachers, policeman, firefighters, State union workers but NOTHING for our senior citizens ? Obama needs to GO. How much longer are the American people going to put up with this ? 2012 can't get here soon enough believe me !

But Congress gets an automatic 5% COLA raise every year regardless. The judges need to have congress pass a tag along bill for them to get the same raise. It is already being worked on. With all these congressmen talking about curving spending you think one of them would have introduced something to suspend this raise, but that is not happening. There are a bunch who want to change the income tax that reverts back this year but nothing about doing away with their raise. Write your congressman!!!

It's just fine with these crappy politicians to give federal employees and themselves a raise, but seniors have to struggle to survive on less than $800. And the Dems stole over $500 Billion dollars from seniors' health care on top of it!

It does NOT. Neither Congress nor Federal employees salaries [or the military, for that matter] are subject to any automatic cost of living calculation. Their annual raises are set each year in a bill that has to be passed.

On the other hand, Federal retirees and all Social Security recipients benefits ARE subject to a complex inflation measurement calculation every year. Both last year and now this year this calculation had resulted in no COLA [last year, in fact, the "cost of living" actually went down a bit]. Neither group is going to be getting any adjustment this year because the formula that controls COLA has for the 2nd year in a row resulted in no or negative inflation.

On the other hand --- it is BEYOND unseemly that either Congress, their staffs, or ANY Federal employee should be getting any kind of increase in salary next year given that the economy is still in the toilet; unemployment is still north of 9.5%; and their jobs are almost bullet-proof from being lost due to the way Federal jobs are protected.

The most recent news about any Federal pay raise I could find was an article in FEDWEEK http://fedweek.com/showItem.ph... that talked about either a 1.4% or a 1.9% raise being passed.

Any raise is obscene given the current state of the federal budget and national economy.

Dozens of Democrats have signed onto a bill that would send every senior a $250 check. They say health care costs are still rising, even if food and energy bills aren’t.

Pure political payoff pandering.

If the Dems or the Repubs were really interested in fixing things, then they would tweak the formula used for SSN and Fed retiree benefits to better take into account such things as health costs if they thought it were under-represented in the formula.

But wait --- wasn't Obamacare supposed to hold the line and even save money on health care costs? What are these Democrats now saying?

Federal civilian employees were given a 2.9 percent cost of living raise for fiscal 2010., then changed to 2%.

The conferees adhered to President Barack Obama’s requested 2 percent federal pay raise, breaking a long-standing tradition of pay parity with the military.

Members of the military will likely receive a 3.4 percent raise in 2010.

The legislators did reject Obama’s Nov. 30 proposal to eliminate locality pay and use the entire raise as an increase to base pay.

The pay raise was included in the Financial Services bill, one of six bills included in the $446.8 billion discretionary omnibus.

Other bills included in the omnibus are, Commerce, Justice and Science; Labor, Health and Human Services and Education; Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; State and Foreign Operations; and Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis brought six employees from her congressional staff over to work for her at the Labor Department and gave them all big raises.05/11/10

States and City's also did the same

Mass. auditor gives staff 5 percent raises 2010-03-18

Fresno, Former Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, who is now running for Congress, gave 20 members of her Assembly staff promotions and 10% salary increases as she was about to hand the speakership over to Assembly Member John Perez.

Skint, sounds to me like the oldsters have no one representing them. Everyone else and their brother gets SOME sort of increase, if I'm reading what you posted correctly. Where is the AARP, or are they just interested in selling policies to oldsters, regardless of their difficulty in paying for them?

I thought you wanted to bring down the Federal Debt??? I thought that the Federal Debt was spiraling out of control???? YOUR entitlements are the biggest cancers in the Federal Debt. You wont give up a little? Buy a more fuel efficient car the next time you drive to a tea party convention??? Where's your patriotism??

What did the Republicans tell the seniors to look out for. Obama was going to cut their benefits. Obama is doing just that. Wait until the seniors see what Obama has cut and how much more their going to have to pay out of their pockets if they get the Medicare Advantage. When Obama sees the seniors, he sees money that could be better spent on his social justice programs.

According to a recent Associated Press article, Social Security recipients will not receive an adjustment for inflation this coming year, the second year in a row. And this is only the second time since 1975 that an increase in SS income will not happen. It is extremely important to remember, this decision by the federal government’s Social Security Administration, was and is being made under Democrat leadership in Congress and the Executive branches of government and is a direct result of their legislative SPENDING decisions and policies. And we should also recognize the leaders specifically responsible, Barack Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi.

According to a recent Associated Press article, Social Security recipients will not receive an adjustment for inflation this coming year, the second year in a row. And this is only the second time since 1975 that an increase in SS income will not happen. It is extremely important to remember, this decision by the federal government’s Social Security Administration, was and is being made under Democrat leadership in Congress and the Executive branches of government and is a direct result of their legislative SPENDING decisions and policies. And we should also recognize the leaders specifically responsible, Barack Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi.

All of Senior citizens' costs are going up. You may only blame democrats but do you really think McConnell and Boehner give a hoot what happens to them? Boehner is out there today telling people we don't need a minimum wage. He wants to turn us into a Third World Country. However, keep those CEO bonuses high and keep that money flowing into the dark hole of Afghanistan and Iraq. Who cares if we had cost overruns on those projects in Iraq or many of them were not completed. None of these politicians give a hoot what happens to the senior citizens, middle class, or small business. Their main concern is hanging on to the tax breaks for those over $250,000.00, making the CEO's and Wall Street happy, and keeping the insurance companies and the lobbyists satisfied because that is where their money comes from. This is outrageous and I hope people will write to their congressmen. I know that will not do much to help as congress only cares about their re-election and their own pocketbooks. And don't think this new crop of tea party candidates are going to help when they are elected. They want to take away what the Seniors already have and more.